Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s Speech at the Valedictory Ceremony of Sesquicentennial Celebrations of Allahabad High Court 02-04-2017
The dignitaries present on the stage,
In a way it marks the conclusion of the Sesquicentennial Celebrations. But the completion of this celebration that was going on for the past one year could prove to be a source of new energy, new inspiration, new resolution and help in achieving the dream of a new India. The existence of Allahabad High Court in the world of Judiciary is 150 year old and I believe that Allahabad is India's pilgrimage centre in the field of Judiciary. I feel proud and privileged to have got the opportunity to be present in such a pilgrimage centre and to listen to you and to share my thoughts with you all.
The Chief Justice Sahib was talking his heart out and I was listening to him. I could feel the pain in his every word and I feel the need to do something to address it. I believe that this leadership will help to fulfil the resolutions of the Judges of India. I assure that the government is with you and will make every effort to help you fulfil the responsibilities. When the Allahabad High court had completed 100 years, the then President of India, Dr. Radhakrishnan was present here and had expressed a few thoughts. I would like to read one paragraph from that speech which was delivered 50 years ago and reiterate the ideas.
Dr. Radhakrishnan ji had said, "Law is something that constantly changes, laws should be in line with the nature of people, adapted to the traditional values, and also the law should take into account the modern trends and challenges. All these things should be taken into account while reviewing the law. What kind of life do we want to lead? What is the law? What is the ultimate goal of law? The welfare of all people is not just the welfare of the rich people; rather it is the welfare of every citizen of the country. This is the goal of the law and we should strive to achieve that."
I think that Dr. Radhakrishnan ji had given a vital message to the judges and the rulers of this country 50 years ago from the same land and it is equally relevant and praiseworthy today.
Gandhiji used to say as to how to be sure if a decision is right or wrong. What is the criterion for it? So, Gandhi had specifically told the government that whenever you make a decision and are in a dilemma, always think about the marginal person of this country and the impact of that decision on that person's life. If the impact is positive then you must go ahead with that decision.
How can we make this idea a part of our lives? How to make it a purpose of our lives which can become a wind of change?
Before independence, the lawyers or the people from the field of Judiciary in Allahabad in particular and the entire India in general had given a push to the freedom movement. They used to inspire crores of people to become fearless by fighting against the British Empire. This generation of freedom fighters who later turned into politicians mostly had a background of law. They led the freedom movement and also the governance system after independence. It was everyone's dream to see the country free. Without this dream, it would have been impossible to get freedom. One of the specialities of Gandhiji was that he had awakened the desire for independence in the heart of every Indian. The sweeper used to think that his work is for achieving freedom, if someone was engaged in education, he had a similar thinking. Similarly if someone was wearing khadi, he used to think that it was for the country. He had instilled this zeal within every Indian as per the individual's capacity. Today I am in a place like Allahabad which had strengthened the struggle for freedom.
We have completed 70 years of Independence. 75 years of Independence will be completed in the year 2022. Can Allahabad inspire the country? Could the obsession, the renunciation, the immense hard-work and labour that had inspired the countrymen during the freedom struggle be rekindled in the 125 crore people in these 5 years so as to fulfil the vision of elevating India to newer heights by the year 2022 when we reach 75th year of independence? Every individual may have a resolution, a roadmap for the year 2022. If every citizen does this, I believe that no citizen should doubt about the results.
There is a tremendous strength in the 125 crore countrymen, our institutions, our government and society. Today while we are celebrating the completion of 150 years, we should move ahead with the resolution of doing something for the welfare of our country on the principles of Dr.Radhakrishnan and Mahatma Gandhi, in whichever field we are. I believe that the dream which our Chief Justice has, you all have the same fire within you. This fire can prove to be an energy that can bring a change within the country. I invite the countrymen from this platform to frame a resolution that the dreams that our freedom fighters had, we should strive to fulfil them with our efforts by the 75th year of independence. I believe that the dream of 125 crore Indians and one step of 125 crore Indians will take the country forward by 125 crore steps. Such is their power. We should put efforts in this direction to strengthen this further. The era has changed.
While I was campaigning for 2014 elections, many people of the country didn't know me. I did not have any identity. In a small programme, I was interviewed. I had said- "I don't know how many new laws will I frame; but I will definitely end one law every day if I become the Prime Minister. I want to reduce the burden of these laws that have been imposed by the governments on the common man." Even the Chief Justice was wondering how to come out of it. The government was also thinking about reducing the burden. Today I am glad that we have abolished about 1200 laws, more than 1 law per day, before the completion of 5 years of our coming to power. A more simplified system and lesser burden of laws will make the judicial system more efficient. For achieving this, the role of technology in today's era is indispensable. Just now the Chief Justice was saying that there is no need of a document, the file will move automatically within a fraction of a second. With the Digital India initiative, the government has strengthened the judicial system with the use of ICT - Information and Communication Technology. The work has been simplified. There was a time when the judges would have to look into the books very minutely for hours for every case.
Today's lawyers don't have to work so hard. They just have to ask 'Google guru' and the Google guru answers instantly, like it was the case of 1989; this was the matter and such and such person was the Judge. Technology has simplified everything. The entire community of lawyers has obtained such a great strength that has improved the quality of debates with state-of-the-art information system. Arguments can be supported with the help of technology. It will bring sharpness and the quality, not for the dates but for solving the issues. I believe that when there is sharpness in the debates before the judges, it won't take much time to find out the truth. This will expedite the judicial process. How to use technology at every stage? Today the dates are being assigned by physically going to the court. When will the process of giving dates through SMS begin?
Today, suppose an officer works in some city. Suppose a case is going on for which his presence is required; but he is transferred. Then for attending the hearing why should he leave his job and the city to go back to the previous city? Can't we provide a facility of video conferencing? They can be interrogated in a short time. In this way, their time can also be utilised for the governance. Everyone knows the process, taking the prisoners to the court, huge expenditure in the security and so on.
Now Yogi ji has come to power. This might stop. We can reduce a lot of expenditure and time if we can connect the jails to the courts through video conferencing. We can bring simplicity in the entire process. The Government of India has tried to ensure that our judicial system gets the full benefit of modern ICT Technology. It should be prioritized. I wish to appeal to the youngsters with start-ups to bring new innovations for the country's future judicial system. They should also strengthen the country's judiciary with the help of technology. I believe that with the help of technology and innovation, the country's judicial process will be expedited. If we try in all four directions, we will complement each other and will obtain the desired results certainly.
Once again, my best wishes to Dilip ji, his entire team, honourable Judges and my friends on the completion of 150th year of this journey. I believe that we should move ahead with the dreams for the 75th year of independence in the year 2022 and we should strive to fulfil the resolutions as soon as possible leaving no stone unturned. We should strive to take our nation to newer heights and make every effort to fulfil the dream of new India by the new generation. With this one expectation I am very grateful to all of you.
Thank you.